The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1887-04-28

ers begin to separate the good from the
bad; the rag cutter and duster making the
| good still better; the tremendous rotating
started on the cleaning process; the wash
ers, which take up and continue the
cleansing; the converting of the rags into
cotton; the carrying the converted rags
cleansed-into the perfect machine, and
the turning out of the purest white paper,
at the rate of 5000 pounds in IS hours.
This is interesting to all, but especially so
to one whose life is bound up in paper
who thinks paper, and dreams paper, and,
if some day it is discovered that paper is
nutritious Gt is already everything else),
it may be added, eats paper.
| When I looked at the mass of rags of
all colors, and later saw it fall upon the
table in spotless white paper, l began
thinking what would be done with this
paper, and upon its surface what would
the people read. On some of it the Laws
of the State will be printed and the rags
will serve the purpose of preserving the
will of the law makers and the duties of
the people. On some of it, the readers of
the STATE CHRONICLE will read this article.
On some of it, Republican editors may ad-
| vocate Republican doctrines; Knights of
Labor editors may urge the granting of
more liberty and bigger pay to the work
ingman; and Democratic editors preach
the great Jeffersonian saving gospel of
universal equality. 1t all comes from the
chilled rolls, alike pure and white. 1t
may be used to help or to hurt the people;
to disseminate truth or falsehood.
| How like our life is the sheet of white
paper, waiting to receive impressions! AS
l stood by the machinery and saw the
gradual turning of the dirty rags into
clean white paper, l thought how like the
building of an upright character is the
manufacture of paper! Discarding an evil
| habit in the start, illustrated by the
throwing away of the unsuitable rags;
tried in the fires of temptation and COM
ing out purer, illustrated by the steaming
process; cleansed of the iniquity of the
heart by the waters for the healing oe all
| the nations, illustrated by the great
| 'swashers" that remove the dust and dirt
crushed by the weight of trouble or op-
| preston, passing under the rod," illus
trated by the passing under the chilled
rolls of the paper, after the various pro
cesses have taken away the impurities and
made clean and pure; coming through all,
with the stains removed, is the clean sheet
of right living, illustrated by the finished
sheet of paper as it falls upon the table
ready for shipment.
| A lesson in life-a valuable lesson-is
| taught by the production of paper. l
might enlarge this thought and tell how
| few, comparatively, of our lives are like
the white paper. Many sheets of MANILA
paper, of stiff ,colored paper, of ''specked'
and soiled paper, come from the mills
many more than of sweet, pure, white
paper. More lives have blemishes, more
lives are colored, more lives have ''hard
| places in them, than are free from these
| defects.
| Nr. Askew's paper mill property is val
liable and an important State industry. 1t
is situated 13 miles from Raleigh, on the
| Neuse river, and is within three miles of
| the railroad at Neuse Station. The dam
| across the river is 500 feet long, and feet
and inches high, and the canal is IA feet
wide, 5 feet deep, and 900 feet long. The
power is 500 horse, and 19 feet fall from
| dam to wheel. There is ample water all
the year, and ample power to run cotton
| factory in addition to paper mill. l
asked Mr. Askew why he didn't build
cotton factory. He said he was getting
too old to build. 1t occurs to me that
there is no better place for a cotton fac
| tory. There are twenty cotton gins within
a radius of ten miles, and combined they
| gin 5000 bales of cotton a year. This
would enable a man to buy cotton at the
mill door at less than is paid in the city,
and save the cost of hauling. Wood costs
$125 per cord dt livered- is saving
of about six dollars a day over city facto
ries. There is abundance of water power
here to run paper mill and cotton fac
tory, and hope to see large one erected
before many years.
Mr.. Askew employs about twenty men
and women. The men get from so cents
to So. 90 day, and the women forty and
fifty cents day. Twelve hours is days
work. If thought it would do any good
l would stop right here and preach SER
mon On the text: ''Woman's Right to Bet
ter Wages" But everywhere in the State,
| in the Union, and in the world, women
are paid less than men for the very same
work. 1t is crying shame. Here their
work is different and lighter than that
performed by the men. When this is the
case, they don't expect the same pay. 1t
is against the inequality in wages when
there is equality in labor that protest.
In addition to the paper mills Mr.. AS
kew has a cotton gin, saw mill and grist
mill, has 351 acres of land, and cultivates
a large farm. His clover and oats are fine
and make carpet that is rich and beauti-
full. He makes his clover and wheat and
grasses. l was glad to see this-and l
commend the example to all farmers. 1t
not only pays, but growing grain and
clover appeal more to the aesthetic eye
than cotton and tobacco. l am told that
more wheat was planted this season than
usual and that every year the farmers are
paying more attention to raising their
own supplies. Good!
After pleasant morning watching the
operation Of paper making, in which I
was as much interested as Irving was in
his visit to the British Museum where he
watched the art of book-making; an in
spection of the growing crops and the
Spring preparations; a chat about politics
at Mr.. Aliens storei and dinner at Mr..
Askew's, of which l cannot, at this dis
tance, speak without fgurative smack
ing of lips, / took a delightful stroll